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Where Opportunity Knox launches Veteran Network Builder program

To help veterans create their civilian networks

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Dec. 17, 2014) — Where Opportunity Knox announced today the launch of its Veteran Network Builder program to help veterans create their own civilian networks.

Where Opportunity Knox, created in September 2014, is a regional initiative to connect 10,000 transitioning veterans and military spouses to jobs and the Greater Louisville Region by 2017.

knox“According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking,” said Eileen Pickett, economic development advisor for Where Opportunity Knox. “Often veterans and their spouses are well-suited for these positions but they lack personal connections and a professional civilian network to alert them to these opportunities. By establishing and enlisting Veteran Network Builders from throughout our community, we hope to assist veterans and their spouses as they start to build their civilian networks and relationships, connecting them with influencers and decision-makers in the business community.”

Veteran Network Builders represent a variety of industries throughout the Greater Louisville region and are selected based on their strong regional business networks and their interest in helping transitioning military personnel get connected. These volunteers commit to connecting with at least three veterans or military spouses per year and are willing to provide these individuals with personal introductions to other community leaders as appropriate. More than 20 Veteran Network Builders have already been selected to support this new program.

With approximately 130,000 soldiers exiting the Army annually through Fort Knox’s Transition Assistance Program (TAP), Greater Louisville’s 26-county region has a unique economic development opportunity to tap into this highly skilled veteran talent like nowhere else in the nation. Proximity to Fort Knox makes the Greater Louisville region uniquely suited to become a veteran talent magnet to meet the workforce needs of regional employers, while leveraging this proximity as a distinct competitive advantage for business retention, expansion and attraction.